DAPO Afolayan was happy to take the bumps if it meant getting promotion for Bolton Wanderers.

The West Ham loanee scored in the 4-1 win at Crawley which helped the Whites cement a top three spot and also drew the foul which led to George Francomb’s first-half red card.

It was the third time this season that a player has been sent off for a foul on Afolayan but the youngster says he will take it as a compliment.

“I think I am quite a clever player, I tend to buy a lot of fouls and I think that’s the third lad who has been sent off this season,” he said. “It happens.

“I have played in the Conference, in Saturday leagues, in five-a-sides on a Wednesday night, so I know what it’s like. I want to get on the ball and if that is what someone wants to do, then fine, I relish it.

“It happens to the best players in the world, so I try not to let it affect me.

“If I get them sent off, it helps the team.”

Since arriving at Wanderers in February Afolayan says he has learned a lot about what the club means to supporters in the town.

The club’s fortunes improved dramatically thereafter, with Afolayan finishing on the losing side just three times in 21 appearances.

“I wasn’t really here at the start of the season, so I can’t really talk about that, but since I have been here it has been amazing,” he said.

“The club, the fans, you can see how much it means to everyone. I have been staying at the hotel, so every time I leave I meet people and I know what it means to them. To do it for them means absolutely everything to me.

“Since I have been here the spirit in the group has been unbelievable.

“You see that, it’s why we have been on the run we have been on, why we deserve to be here today.

“Last week was obviously disappointing but going into this week I wasn’t really worried, I just knew if we did what we have been doing we’d be fine.

“It was great to do it in front of the cameras.”

Afolayan was also delighted to have opened his scoring account for Bolton in what could be his final game for the club.

“I never lost faith,” he said. “I knew I could score goals and I have proven it at different levels now, it was just about getting myself in the right places. I wanted to make sure I was doing my bit for the team and making sure we were winning games, so I’m happy.”